Torden and Axl's Epic Quest
by DracoCharizard87
Summary: Bowser gets captured by Eggman, so Torden and Axl collaborate and make a daring rescue mission to save him from being roboticised!
1. Chapter 1: Setting Up Base

**DRAGON HEROES**

Back with another Dragon Heroes story! We're going to be seeing how our heroes are going to try to thwart Eggman's evil plans! This time, the Nightriders will play important roles here! Let's get reading, shall we?

* * *

 **Torden and Axl's Epic Quest  
**

 **Chapter 1 – Setting Up Base  
**

"That's it, Scorcher and Cronk, get the cavern nicely swept so we could arrange our belongings."

The Pyre Squad had been searching for a place to reside, and they recently found an uninhabited cave to set up a base for themselves. It had been a while since they encountered Cynder's group or confronted Doctor Eggman for the Chaos Emeralds, but they were certain that once they have completed the base, they would be able to resume what they intend to accomplish for Lord Sardius, even if it meant teaming up with their long-standing enemies for the time being. Ciara rested comfily on her couch while Scorcher and Cronk were busy putting everything where she wanted them to be.

"Come on, Ciara," groaned Scorcher. "We're a team, so we should all be working together in making our secret base look nice!"

"Yeah, what gives?" added Cronk. "How about you stop lazing about and help us out?"

"Oh, quit your bellyaching, you lazy slobs!" grunted Ciara. "I'm the lady, so I don't need to do manual labour. You pathetic slugs are men, so how about you stop acting like a bunch of sissies and show some hustle?"

Feeling offended, yet unable to reason with Ciara, the two dragons continued their work. At the same time, the Pyre Squad were eager to make a call to Lord Sardius as soon as they finished setting up their base.

Eventually, after several hours of hard work moving furniture, appliances, and many other things, Scorcher and Cronk have finally completed the task, and the two dragons sat down feeling very exhausted from the ordeal. Ciara inspected the room and could not be any more satisfied.

"About time you bozos have pulled your weight," she said. "I say this place looks like a proper Obsidian Devourer hideout."

"Do you think the boss will agree with such set up?" asked Cronk.

"I'm pretty sure he might be pleased with what we have done," said Scorcher. "Let's go and contact him for his feedback."

So Scorcher booted up the laptop, then after a few minutes of loading, he booted up the telecommunications app where he found Lord Sardius on the list of contacts, and started the call. After several seconds of waiting, the Pyre Squad received a response as the face of Sardius appeared on the screen.

"Who is this?" he began.

"Good day to you, boss!" said Scorcher cheerfully.

Sardius groaned in an annoyed manner. "Oh, it's you three again," he said coolly. "What do you want now?"

"Well, if you want to know, we just finished setting up our secret base," said Ciara. "It will be an excellent private operations establishment of the Obsidian Devourers' very finest, and we would like to give you a quick glimpse of our place!"

The Pyre Squad waited anxiously while Sardius took a look at their secret base. Unfortunately for them, he was anything but impressed.

"It looks like a child's play room, if you ask me," he said sternly.

"Not to worry," said Cronk. "It just needs a little tuning up. Believe us, boss, we're going to make this base look as professional as ever!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," said Sardius. "But enough about that, for I must ask, have you three managed to gather the so-called Chaos Emeralds?"

Cronk and Scorcher exchanged nervous glances at each other, knowing that they did not have a single emerald in their possession.

"We're yet to get them," replied Ciara. "We promise we're working to the best of our abilities.

Sardius frowned. "It seems to me that you're not putting any effort in your tasks," he said. "And I want to hear that you have defeated this Doctor Eggman character. We can't be able to conquer the planet if there is another one pursuing the same goal."

"No sweat, boss, we'll double our efforts," said Scorcher. "Eggman will be defeated, just wait and see."

"You three better get cracking on the work," said Sardius. "Seeing you continuously fail on your task is making me lose my patience and doubtful that you are the competent agents you claim yourselves to be."

After Sardius hung up, the Pyre Squad looked at each other, sweating nervously.

"So what do you we do now?" asked Scorcher.

"You heard the boss," said Ciara. "We better resume the task of obtaining the Chaos Emeralds and overthrowing the Eggman Empire."

"But how are we going to do that?" asked Scorcher. "Eggman has a huge army of robots, and we'll be toast if we attempt to infiltrate his hideout, wherever it may be."

"That's nothing to worry about," said Cronk. "Cynder and her group are out and about trying to stop Eggman, so we might as well let them do the dirty work for us, and once they managed to get the Chaos Emeralds from him, we'll rob them blind!"

"That sounds like an absolutely brilliant plan," said Ciara. "And at the same time, we can call of the alliance, capture them and bring them to Sardius!"

"What an absolutely underhanded, devious and sinister plan," laughed Scorcher. "I really like that!"

"It's downright evil that it's absolutely delicious!" laughed Cronk.

Just then, the Pyre Squad heard a zooming sound from outside. They hurried to the opening of their cave, and to their surprise, they saw some dragons flying into the horizon. Although they could not see them properly, they could tell that it was Cynder and her friends, especially with the indistinguishable shape of the jet plane next to them.

"Well, I'll be!" beamed Ciara. "It seems we are extremely lucky today!"

"Those dragons must be attempting to stop Eggman," said Scorcher. "Perhaps they're probably trying to find their hiding place to obtain the Chaos Emeralds."

"In that case, let's follow them and see where they're going!" said Cronk. "This is just the opportunity we have been waiting for, and we'll be the ones coming on top once we catch them and nab the emeralds!"

Nodding in agreement, the trio spread their wings and took off in pursuit, eager to carry out with the objective given to them by their boss.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** It sure has been awhile since we last saw the Pyre Squad, but now they're back again, up to no good as usual. All the while, next chapter we'll be seeing where the team's heading off to and what sort of mission they are undertaking.


	2. Chapter 2: A Botched Mission

**Chapter 2 – A Botched Mission  
**

Cynder, Draco, Percival and Torden flew as quickly as they could to North America with Tails flying his Tornado Z next to them. Sonic was on board the wings of the plane while Blaze and Bowser were inside. Earlier, they and the rest of their friends have attended a conference where they learned from some of the Anthro League's spies the location of Doctor Eggman's laboratory. It was the information they needed in order to recover the Chaos Emeralds, including the ones stolen from them.

"How much longer, Tails?" Sonic asked impatiently. "I want to crack that Eggman wide open!"

"Hang in there, Sonic," said Tails. "We should not be so far away from Alaska now, only in less than fifteen minutes or so."

"Fifteen minutes? That takes forever!" pouted Sonic. "I could have infiltrated Eggman's lab in less than ten seconds!"

"Just be patient, Sonic," said Blaze. "It won't be long now."

Sonic could only mutter to himself as the team continued their flight. Eventually, they reached land as they could see the snowy mountains ahead.

"At last, we're here!" exclaimed Tails. "Come on, guys, full speed ahead!"

Cynder relished at the cold air of Alaska as it felt very similar to her home land of Norway. "I just love how freezing this place is," she said. "And it's so wonderful to see the snow again."

"Maybe for you, but not all of us," said Percival as he and Draco shivered uncontrollably.

"I should have packed a parka if I knew it was going to be nippy," said Sonic. "A chili dog would also help to keep my tummy warm."

"I think it's nice," said Torden. "Lily surely would agree with me and Cynder."

This made Cynder feel content that she had at least one member on her team aside from Blaze who did not mind the cold weather.

"Right then," said Tails. "According to the spies of the Anthro League, Eggman's hideout is somewhere in the Denali Mountains."

"We better plan carefully as well, Tails," said Blaze. "Eggman probably has the place heavily guarded by armies of robots, and we can't afford to get caught since we know his penchant for converting anyone unfortunate to stumble on his turf into part of his robotic regime."

Sure enough, when everyone arrived at the mountains, they could see that below them were legions of Egg Pawns patrolling the area. Several Egg Knights were stationed all around, keeping a sharp eye for intruders.

Landing down to a remote location not far from the mountains, the team assessed the situation, and realised that getting into the laboratory altogether would be risky, especially without finding a way to sneak inside undetected.

"There must be another way in," said Draco. "The only question is, in which mountain and where could an alternate entry be at?"

Just then Sonic noticed something peculiar protruding from a certain mountain. "Check this out," he said. "It looks like some kind of air vent, and it's wide enough to fit a Koopa inside."

"So what's the plan?" asked Percival.

"I got it all figured out," said Blaze as she noticed a pair of broken down Egg Pawns. "Cynder and I will disguise as robots so we can penetrate the laboratory right from within. Sonic, Draco, Percival, and Bowser, you four will enter the air vent and wait for us."

"And what will I do?" asked Tails.

"I think it will be best that you stay outside, Tails," said Sonic. "We need someone to keep an eye out for patrols so that we can escape without getting caught once we get the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald from Eggman."

"Okay then," said Tails, secretly wishing that he could tag along with his friends on the mission. "Please be careful, all of you."

"We will do our best," promised Blaze, and she and Cynder managed to fit into the Egg Pawns. "Sonic, lead the dragons into the air vent, and we'll meet you inside the lab."

"Let's do this!" declared Sonic. "Follow me, boys!"

"Yes, Sonic," said Draco, Percival, Torden and Bowser, and they all entered into the air vent while Blaze and Cynder, disguised as Egg Pawns, hurried to follow a certain patrol returning to the main entrance of Eggman's laboratory.

* * *

Inside the mountain was a dark, forbidding base, complete with machinery and robots. The main entrance door opened, allowing the Egg Pawn patrol inside. While most of them made their way into another room, two continued to the direction of one of the air ducts. Blaze and Cynder approached the duct and searched for a vent, where they knew Sonic, Draco, Percival, Torden and Bowser would be.

Meanwhile, Sonic made their way through the air ducts and found a vent leading into the laboratory. They stopped and waited for Cynder and Blaze to arrive. When they saw two Egg Pawns making their way to the air ducts, they stood back trying their best not to get caught. The Egg Pawns opened the vent and scanned around the interior, before opening themselves to reveal Blaze and Cynder.

"Good to see that you're just where we expected you would be," said Blaze.

"Perfect timing, Blaze and Cynder," said Sonic. He turned to the other dragons. "Let's get this underway! Draco, Percival and Bowser, stay inside and keep an eye for any robots that might come our way. If you see them, give us the signal, got it?"

"Not a problem, Sonic," said Draco.

Sonic and Torden smiled and they jumped out of the vent to join with Blaze and Cynder. "Time to do this, girls!" he said. "Chaos Emeralds, here we come!"

"Please do take care!" called Draco.

"Best of luck, Sonic, Cynder, Torden and Blaze!" called Percival.

"Give it your best shot!" called Bowser.

* * *

Sonic, Blaze, Cynder and Torden made their way around the laboratory as they searched for the Chaos Emeralds. They sneaked quietly through the rooms, doing their best to avoid getting caught by Eggman's robots.

"They must around here somewhere," whispered Sonic.

"Finding the Chaos Emeralds is not going to be easy," said Torden. "We're like mice in a maze and wherever they may be, they could be far away from us, like in a distant room or something."

"What do you make of that over there?" asked Cynder as she pointed at what looked like a machine that held items.

"Let's have a look then," said Blaze, and slowly they approached the machine, but found nothing. There were no Chaos Emeralds and not even the Master Emerald contained.

"Perhaps we should try looking up where they currently are," said Sonic.

"Allow me, then," said Blaze as she typed away at the keyboard. "Good thing Tails has taught me something about computers, so I might have an idea of where we could find the Emeralds."

Several minutes of loading passed, and to their dismay, they discovered that the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald have already been shipped off, scheduled to be delivered to the Death Egg.

"Darn it!" pouted Sonic. "They must be already sent into space!"

"Hold on," said Blaze. "The machine states that they are about to be sent to Eggman's battle station, so maybe we're not too late."

"That's good news then," said Cynder. "I suppose we should find out where they're being shipped and hurry there before the cargo could take off."

* * *

Back in air duct, Draco, Percival and Bowser noticed some Egg Pawns patrolling the room, and they came dangerously close to their location. They stood back very still and quietly. When the Egg Pawns turned back, Percival sighed in relief. "Talk about a near miss," he said. "Thank goodness nothing bad happened."

But then, there came trouble.

The cold air of outside eventually caught up to Percival, and all of a sudden, he felt stuffy inside his nose. Draco and Bowser realised what was to come.

"No, Percival," they begged. "Please, don't sneeze."

"Aha, I don't think I can hold it!" stammered Percival as he tried to hold in the sneeze, but to no avail. "I could feel it coming! Ah, ah, ah… ATCHOO!"

With a loud sneeze, Percival blew the vent open, causing a loud clang and he fell off with a thud into the laboratory. The noise caught the robots' attention and they spotted Percival. Immediately, they opened fire, and the dragon flew quickly into the air duct. The alarm blared, and Sonic, Torden, Cynder and Blaze rushed out, realising their cover was blown.

"Cynder and Blaze," said Sonic. "Torden and I will distract the robots, and when the coast is clear, hurry into the air ducts!"

"Right," said the girls.

Sonic and Torden raced in front of the robots and goaded them into giving chase. While the robots went after the duo, Cynder and Blaze ran for the air ducts and leapt up where they found Draco, Percival and Bowser. They sped through the winding ducts as an Egg Pawn pursued them. Bowser realised that if he went with them, they will get caught outside, so he decided to distract the robot.

"Bowser, where are you going?" asked Draco as he saw the Koopa going to the opposite direction. "The exit's that way!"

"I'm going to make a diversion," said Bowser. "You four continue on!"

"No, you can't do that!" exclaimed Draco. "You'll get caught for sure!"

"Don't worry about me," said Bowser. "All that matters now is your safety and need to escape. Now quickly get the hell out of here as fast as you can!"

With no other choice, the group did as Bowser told them while he waited for the Egg Pawn, and then dashed off with the robot going after him.

It was not long until the team made it out of Eggman's laboratory. Cynder, Draco, Percival, and Blaze reunited with Tails, and soon Sonic and Torden joined them. Sonic checked to make sure everyone was present.

"Okay, that's about most of you," he said. "But where's Bowser?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Oh, no. It seems that Bowser has been captured. What will happen to him now? Can the team save him? Find out soon!


	3. Chapter 3: Dream Team

**Chapter 3 – Dream Team  
**

Inside his chamber, Doctor Eggman was waiting for the report from his robot troops. He was aware of the commotion that transpired, and he could only wonder who would be so foolish enough to infiltrate his hideout. Soon, Sharkinator entered the chamber to give Eggman the updates.

"Sir, it seems that we have some intruders," he began. "And I believe it's…"

"I know we had some intruders!" growled Eggman. "The one thing I want to know is, who was it?"

"I was just about to reveal that," replied Sharkinator. "The intruder was none other than the hedgehog himself and some of his accomplices."

"So, Sonic has finally figured out where I am," said Eggman. "Well, at least I know where those miserable dragons reside in, but something tells me that they're affiliated with some rebel organisation."

"We may not have captured the hedgehog," continued Sharkinator. "But we have managed to capture one of the collaborators involved."

"Excellent work," replied Eggman. "Perhaps whoever it is can give us a lead. Bring in the prisoner!"

Sharkinator clapped his hands and two Egg Knights arrived in the room, both holding Bowser by the arm. He was also chained so there was no way he could be able to escape. The two Egg Knights pushed the Koopa forward, and he was face to face with Eggman.

"You must be Bowser," said Eggman.

"This will get you nowhere, doc!" snarled Bowser as he eyed Eggman disdainfully. "You really are going to regret this once my friends come back!"

Eggman sneered at Bowser. "Oh, really?" he asked. "I have doubts that they will be able to help you since I have been alerted by their presence. As much as I know where their village is thanks to the information given by my Robot Masters, I am aware that they must be part of a bigger organisation, one dedicated to restoring peace and freedom to the world. Now tell me, where are they?"

"I refuse to say a word, Eggman!" growled Bowser.

"You're so brave, yet you're so foolish," said Eggman. "But seeing how strong and mighty you are, Bowser, I believe you'll make a great asset to my entourage, which of course means you're going to be roboticised. Robots! Throw him in the prison cell! I shall deal with him later."

Bowser gulped when he realised his fate. He could only look back helplessly as the Egg Knights hauled him off to the detention block.

 _Or maybe for the time being, I can use him as bait to lure his friends into a trap,_ thought Eggman. _Yes, that would really do, and finally there will be no meddling fools to foil my evil plans for world domination!_

* * *

"So Eggman has captured Bowser," said Sonic grimly.

The team attempted to go back inside Eggman's laboratory earlier on, but since they were discovered and were pursued by a troop of robots, they had no other choice but to flee from Alaska and return to the dragon village in Japan. Although everyone tried to figure out a plan to rescue Bowser, Draco was distraught over what had happened.

Cynder noticed this. "Cheer up, Draco," she said. "At least Bowser did it just so that we could be able to escape from Eggman's robot, and we'll try to find a way to rescue him."

"I can't believe they caught him," said Draco slowly. "Given what we have learned from Eggman, there's no telling what he could do to Bowser. What if they have converted him into a robot? I just can't bear the thought of losing him as he's the closest thing I have to a brother, right after Darky."

Lily stood by next to Draco, comforting him as she could see tears in his eyes.

"Get a hold of yourself, Draco," said Jakkin. "They said they'll get Bowser back, one way or another."

"At least you still have me, big brother," added Darky as he held on to the Charizard's arm.

"I'm really sorry for sneezing, you guys," said Percival. "I feel responsible for the failed mission back there."

"Don't feel bad, Percival," said Sonic. "It wasn't your fault. Anyone can succumb to such extreme weather conditions."

"Unfortunate things happen to all of us buddy," said Charonus. "Don't beat yourself up."

"Hey dudes!" called a familiar voice. "I see that all of you are in a glum mood."

The Nightriders were standing at the village entrance, and they have heard everything. Torden was delighted to see his favourite again. "Axl!" he exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here at this hour!"

"We thought of paying you guys a visit, and then we heard about your situation," said Axl as he shook Torden's hand. "I take it that someone close to you has been held captive by this Doctor Eggman guy, is that right?"

"Yes," said Draco. "We went to Alaska in an attempt to get the Chaos Emeralds from him, but an unfortunate incident occurred that blew our cover, and Bowser ended up getting caught when he distracted the robots from chasing after us."

"That was really brave and selfless of Bowser to make that move so that all of you would escape safely," said Lonnie. "Of course, the band and I got acquainted with him the day we first met you guys, and I could tell he is a cool guy."

Lily noticed that there was only Iggy, Lonnie and Rolf accompanying Axl. "Hey, where are the rest of your bandmates?" she asked.

"They're currently at Kyoto taking care of some dealings with the Anthro League," replied Iggy. "You guys can come with us and meet up with them later."

"Oh, boy, I'd love that!" said Lily.

"Well, anyway," said Torden. "The team and I are now trying to figure out a plan to save him, because for all we know, Eggman's got him and it's only a matter of time until he roboticises him. Draco's really worried about that."

"Tell you what," said Axl. "Maybe the band and I can help out. We may be musicians, but we're also heroes striving for peace and freedom."

"You can help us?" asked Draco.

"Indeed we can, Draco," said Rolf. "Iggy, Lonnie, Axl and I go around fighting crime and evil aside from hosting our concerts, so whenever we see anyone in distress, we feel that drive to do whatever it takes to help them."

Torden was delighted. "That will make it the perfect opportunity for you guys to hang out with us for a while!" he said. "So come on! Let's go rescue Bowser!"

"Hold on a second, Torden," said Sonic. "We can't be able to fit all the Nightriders in Tails' Tornado. It would be better if two of them were to accompany us on the rescue mission."

"I think I'm going to skip out on this," said Blaze. "After that failed mission, I feel that I could do with a rest, especially since I'm still not in the right condition to fight Eggman and his robot army."

"Me too," said Cynder. "As much as I love the cold weather, I need to rest my wings from all that flying."

"I'm going to stay here too," said Percival. "I don't want to accidentally make another repeat of the failed mission. Alaska's just freezing cold."

"You know, I've made up my mind on who will go," said Torden. "I'm only going to take one of my dragon group members, and since Draco is very close to Bowser, I'll be choosing him."

Draco was stunned. "Really, you mean that?"

"Of course, I do, buddy," smiled Torden. "You'll at least have my back should things get very dodgy over there."

"Thanks, Torden," said Draco, feeling somewhat happier. "I'm glad we're in this together."

"Sounds good enough to me," said Jakkin. "I really can't go anyway since I have my own work to do in my hut."

"Same with me," said Lily. "Fighting's not really my kind of thing, but love and laughter is."

"That settles the dragons," said Sonic. "Now we need to see which of you Nightriders will be going."

"Well, I'll be going with you, so all that's left is seeing who I will pick," said Axl. He looked at his band members and considered his decision carefully. _Let's see,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe not Rolf cause he's way too serious and critical, and as for Iggy, he goofs off a lot like Brutus, which often gets him into trouble. I guess that leaves me with…_ "Lonnie!" he spoke all of a sudden.

"Me?" asked Lonnie in bewilderment.

"Yes, you," said Axl. "You're just the right guy for the task we have at hand. What do you say to that?"

Lonnie thought deeply about it before finally smiling. "Okay then!" he beamed.

"Perfect," smiled Axl. "Now we're ready."

"Okay then," said Sonic. "I think we should all now put each other in two separate teams so we can have one that will rescue Bowser and another to distract the robots. Tails, Draco, and Lonnie, I think you guys should be right working with each other, so we'll make you Team B, and I'll form a small team with Torden and Axl, and we'll be Team A."

"I'm coming with you too," said Charonus. "And I'll be joining Team A."

"Alright, that sounds fine," said Tails. "So we'll be having two Charizards with us."

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Draco happily. "I'm going to be with Lonnie and Tails! This is just like being in a dream team!"

"I had a feeling you'll be happy about working alongside with me, Draco," laughed Lonnie. "You sure had taken quite a liking to me since we met."

"Yes, Lonnie," smiled Draco. "You seem like a fun, nice, humorous, and cool member of the Nightriders, which makes you somebody whose presence I'd like to be around when it comes to going on adventures and stuff."

"Oh, my," giggled Lonnie as he blushed.

"Right then," said Sonic. "Time we do this! Team A and Team B, let's go kick some Eggman butt!"

Everyone cheered for the six heroes as they readied themselves to return to Alaska and save Bowser from Doctor Eggman.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Now Torden, Draco, Charonus, Axl, Lonnie, Sonic and Tails are set for a rescue mission? Will they succeed in rescuing Bowser from his predicament? Let's hope so!


	4. Chapter 4: The Great Rescue

**Chapter 4 – The Great Rescue**

Evening started to settle in the Denali Mountains, and a severe blizzard was brewing up. The dragons struggled to see what was ahead of them while Tails checked the controls of his plane so that he could be able to land safely.

"Man, the weather has gotten even worse since we left this place," said Sonic.

"The weather's the least of our problems, Sonic," said Tails. "Eggman has already been alerted and is sure that we're here to rescue Bowser, so he must have reinforced the hideout with more robots."

Tails was right. As the group approached the mountains, they could see that there were more robots patrolling around, and they were heavily armed with weapons, ready to open fire on any potential intruders. The group could tell that rescuing Bowser from being roboticised was not going to be easy.

"I don't like the looks of it," said Draco worryingly. "So many robots, and we're going to have to find a way to slip past them."

"Although Eggman is definitely aware about us infiltrating his lab through the air ducts, he doesn't really know how Torden and I managed to sneak inside," said Sonic. "But we're going to need more robots so that all of us can sneak in together."

"You mean you disguised yourself as a robot?" asked Axl.

"That's right," said Sonic. "And there are seven of us, so we'll need to find and incapacitate seven robots so we can get inside them and enter Eggman's lab."

"What a clever and devious plan!" laughed Lonnie.

"Hang on, Axl and Lonnie," said Tails. "I'm ready to land the plane."

With that, Tails set the Tornado Z diagonally downward, and Sonic, Axl and Lonnie held tight as the strong cold wind blew against. Draco, Torden and Charonus followed them, and soon they landed at a clearing not far from Eggman's laboratory. Fortunately, they were not spotted by the robots, but Tails figured that he would need to cover the plane so they would not be discovered that easily.

"Right," said Sonic. "Time that we find ourselves some robots."

"Before we do that, I would appreciate that you guys help me out concealing the Tornado," said Tails.

So Sonic, Draco, Torden, Charonus, Axl, and Lonnie pitched in and spread out the tarp that Tails brought along, and then they covered the plane with no effort and in record time. Now they were all set to proceed with ambushing some of Eggman's robots. Tails' ears cocked when he heard some footsteps that grew louder with each other.

"I think I am detecting a patrol of seven robots!" he exclaimed.

"Just exactly what we need," said Sonic. "We're going to have to coax them to our location by using some bait."

"And how are we going to do that?" asked Lonnie.

"Somehow, one or maybe two of us are going to have to step forward get the robots to make chase," said Sonic. "Charonus and Axl, do you think you can be able to take that risk?"

"Of course, we will!" said Axl. "Those robots don't scare us!"

While the group assumed their hiding positions, Axl and Charonus silently crept their way through the snow, waiting for the right moment to catch the attention of the Egg Pawn patrol. Soon, the robots were within range, and they stopped with their backs turned. This was the signal for Axl and Charonus. They jumped in front of them and assumed fighting poses so as to provoke the robots.

"Intruders!" bleeped the Egg Knight. "Don't let those two get away!"

The robot patrol chased after Charonus and Axl, who led the way to where the rest of their friends were waiting. As soon as the robots were at the right place, Sonic waved his hand to let the team know ambush their targets. Draco, Charonus and Tails, along with Sonic jumped out of their hiding places and circled around the robots. Charonus and Axl joined in too, and now the robot patrol was completely surrounded. The Egg Knight commanded the Egg Pawns to attack, but before they could, Sonic and his friends jumped over them and quickly brought them down to their knees.

"That was too easy," laughed Sonic. "Come on, dudes, let's get inside those pieces of junk. I'll take the yellow robot."

"Yeah, cause you're the one leading this rescue mission," said Lonnie as he climbed into one of the Egg Pawns.

"No time for talking, guys," said Torden, who was now inside his Egg Pawn. "We better stay focus so that we can get on with saving Bowser."

"Good idea, Torden," said Sonic. "Alright, everyone, let's go!"

* * *

Back inside the laboratory, the entrance doors opened as a patrol of seven robots waited outside. Once the doors were opened, they all went inside and made their way into the control room. Several Egg Pawns were guarding the interior of the control room, and when they noticed the patrol making their way in, they were rather confused.

"We did not know that you had business here," one of the Egg Pawns replied. "What is your clearance?"

At that moment, one patrol member opened fire, decimating the robots just before they could act. Quickly, they made their way in, and another patrol member proceeded to remove his top, exposing Draco.

"What were you thinking, Torden?" the Charizard asked indignantly. "If you go around zapping everyone, we're going to get caught and we'll never get Bowser out of here!"

"Sneaking around is not really my kind of thing, Draco," said Torden as he removed the top of his Egg Pawn. "All the same, I'm really digging the weapons these robots carry, and aside from my taekwondo, I love to gun down enemies."

"Stop bickering, you two," said Axl. "We've got work to do, so let's see where Bowser's location is."

"First things first, Axl," said Sonic. "The Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald need to be retrieved, so let's check out the computers to see where they are."

Tails typed away at the main computer, searching for the location of the Chaos Emeralds. To his delight, they were not sent to the Death Egg.

"Good news and bad news, friends," he began. "I'll start with the bad news first, the Master Emerald has already been shipped off into space."

"Oh, shoot," pouted Sonic. "We must be too late."

"I'm not finished yet, Sonic," said Tails. "The good news is that all seven Chaos Emeralds are still here, located in the cargo bay."

"Well, that takes a lot out our shoulders," said Torden.

"And I've found Bowser's location," continued Tails. "He's in the detention block, cell D-55, but you'll have to be quick as he's scheduled to be roboticised."

"In that case, Team A will go search for the Chaos Emeralds," said Sonic. "Team B, you'll go ahead and rescue Bowser."

"Okay, sounds good," smiled Draco.

"Now here's the plan," said Sonic, and he brought everyone together to whisper it. The team were enthusiastic about the idea, but Lonnie was not sure if he wanted to pose as a captive prisoner.

"Don't worry, buddy," assured Axl. "Just pretend that you're going wild when the robots come to take you. You have the laser blaster with you, but don't take it out yet until the right moment comes."

"Okay, I'll give it a try," sighed Lonnie.

"Meet you at the main entrance," said Sonic as he and his team put back on their disguises and headed out the door to the cargo bay. The other team made their way to the detention block at the other direction.

* * *

Bowser sat quietly in his cell as he thought deeply about his situation. He knew it was only a matter of time until he becomes converted into a robot, hence one of Eggman's minions, and he did not like the thought of that. Nevertheless, he was also feeling hopeful that Draco and his friends would show up and save him from his prison. This made him fall back into pensiveness again, and he was reflecting on his past.

 _So this is how Princess Peach felt whenever I kidnap her and lock her up in the room I made exclusively for her,_ he thought. _I guess maybe trying to make her be my beloved that way was not the best method to win her affections after all. Ah, well, that can't be helped anyway as I know all too well who she truly desires. Gosh, being locked up like this has really opened my eyes…_

Suddenly, there was a huge commotion coming from outside his cell. Bowser could hear the assortment of laser blasters firing and things exploding, and he could wonder what was going on. Eventually, the noise stopped, and then an Egg Pawn approached his cell and it pressed a few buttons opening the door. The Koopa deduced that his time has already come, until the Egg Pawn opened the top of his head.

"Hi Bowser!" said Draco. "I'm here to save you!"

"Draco!" exclaimed Bowser, feeling happy to see his beloved Charizard again. "How did you get here?"

"It's a really long story," replied Draco. "Come on! Let's get out here as fast as we can! Tails and Lonnie have disabled all the surveillance cameras so that we can easily escape with Sonic, Torden, Axl and Charonus, but it's only a matter of time until reinforcements arrive."

Bowser made his way out of his cell, and Draco followed him, but there was trouble ahead. The reinforcements have already arrived, and Tails and Lonnie were fending off against the wave of Egg Pawns that marched their way inside, forcing them into the cell block hallway.

"Looks like our only escape route has been blocked off," grumbled Lonnie.

"Now what are we gonna do?" asked Draco. "We can't hold off against them forever, because more and more of those robots will keep appearing!"

"So much for the rescue," said Bowser. "Guess we're all doomed to be roboticised."

Tails looked around the hallway, and then he noticed an air vent nearby. "No need to despair now!" he said. "I see an alternate way to escape! Let me handle this!"

Quickly, Tails blasted away the air vent. The entry was as big as the one the team originally used. He climbed in and beckoned his friends to follow him. One by one, they kept the Egg Pawns at bay before climbing into the air duct, and Bowser delivered a powerful Fire Breath that incinerated the throng of robots before joining his friends. Together, they hurried through the air duct to find the exit.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** More _Star Wars_ inspired fights and moments in this chapter! Now let's see if the gang can escape!


	5. Chapter 5: Sharkinator's Last Stand

**Chapter 5 – Sharkinator's Last Stand**

"Sir, the Master Emerald has made it to the Death Egg."

"Excellent, now we're only a step away to conquering the world!" laughed Eggman as he sat majestically on his throne. "Prepare to get the shipment of Chaos Emeralds delivered to the battle station!"

"Affirmative, sir," replied the Egg Pawn and he left the room to carry out the order.

"I suppose we'll also go ahead and roboticise Bowser, won't we, doctor?" asked Sharkinator.

"Yes, his time is now near," replied Eggman. "Soon those meddling fools will be in for a rude awakening when they find that their once loyal teammate now serves me! Get ready to give out the command!"

But then all of a sudden, the alarm started blaring, and Eggman jumped out of his chair to figure out what was going on. He pressed on the intercom which was flashing rapidly.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Sir, there's a breakout in the detention block!" the intercom reported. "The prisoner we have captured has escaped!"

"You mean Bowser? How could this be possible?"

"We don't know, but from what our intelligence tells us, a few intruders have managed to enter our laboratory and have destroyed all the surveillance cameras of the detention block."

"This could only mean one thing," said Eggman. "The hedgehog and his friends must be around here again."

"Allow me to take care of them, Eggman," said Sharkinator. "I'm all maintained and prepared for them now."

"Do whatever it takes to prevent them from leaving the base," ordered Eggman. "Crush them! Annihilate them! Disintegrate them! Destroy them! Failure is not an option, Sharkinator, so don't mess this up."

"I'm going to give them their dues," replied Sharkinator, readying his arsenal, and he made his way out of Eggman's chamber.

Eggman pondered deeply. "I also better get my army relocated to Brazil," he said to himself. "It's only a matter until Sonic and his friends total this laboratory, so it's time to get started with evacuation."

* * *

Creeping through the cargo bay, Sonic, Torden, Charonus and Axl checked the crates in the hopes of uncovering the Chaos Emeralds. They were sure that Draco, Lonnie and Tails have managed to free Bowser from his cell as they noticed the troop of Egg Pawns scurrying out of the room.

"Now it's completely safe for us to explore," said Sonic as he stood up. "Quickly now, we don't have as much time!"

"Let's hope we can find the Chaos Emeralds before the robots return," said Axl as he opened the crates.

"Euraka, guys!" cheered Torden. "I've found them!"

Sonic, Charonus and Axl looked at Torden as he broke the crate open, and inside were the seven Chaos Emeralds, all arranged neatly to form the shape of a gem. They were glowing brightly before the team.

"Way to go, Torden!" smiled Sonic. "Now let's get them out of this dump!"

"There are four of us," said Charonus. "So I guess what we could do is take two each, while one of us carries the last one."

"Good plan," replied Torden, and he proceeded to take the first two Chaos Emeralds. Axl and Charonus also took two, so Sonic was the only one to have the last emerald. With all the Chaos Emeralds in their possession, the team raced out of the cargo bay to meet with Draco and his team.

* * *

Inside the air ducts, Draco, Bowser, Tails and Lonnie hurried through, keeping an eye out for any vent leading to the laboratory exit. Fortunately for the team, Tails had a watch that featured a map, so they were able to navigate the air ducts much easily than before.

"You should have come along with us when we were attempting to get the Chaos Emeralds back then," said Draco.

"I know," replied Tails. "It just didn't occur to me that I would have been of much help."

"Try not to talk as much," said Lonnie. "We need to get out of this place without getting spotted by Eggman and his robots."

"I agree with you, Lonnie," said Bowser. "This place is very dangerous, so we must take great care if we are to escape unscathed."

Soon, the team arrived at a remote air vent. Tails checked his map and to his delight, they were just not far from the exit. He then proceeded to take out his safety goggles from his backpack and then a welding machine.

"Stand back, guys," he warned. "I'm going to open this vent. It should take a minute."

"Go ahead and do the honours, Tails," said Draco.

So while everyone turned around to avoid getting blinded by the process, Tails put on his safety goggles and activated his welding machine. He then directed the head around the vent, loosening it up from the heat. When he finished, Tails cautiously removed the vent from the opening and placed it aside and nodded to his teammates that they could jump out. Draco, Bowser and Lonnie climbed down and landed on the main room, while Tails waited until they were all out so he could join them as well.

"Phew!" remarked Draco. "We made it!"

"The exit is right ahead!" exclaimed Tails. "Come on, everyone!"

The team dashed for the opened doors to the snowy exterior. It seemed as if the ordeal was finally over, but just then Sharkinator swooped into the room and stood right in front of them.

"Well, well, thought you could leave that easily, don't you?" the robot shark sneered as a legion of Egg Pawns and Egg Knights appeared and stood from his sides.

"Uh-oh," gulped Draco. "This is really bad."

"I don't know how you miserable miscreants were able to enter the laboratory undetected, but Eggman has given me orders to finish you off," said Sharkinator. "Prepare to be terminated!"

"We'll have to fend them off, I'm afraid," said Bowser.

"But how?" asked Lonnie. "Those robots have outnumbered us a hundred to one!"

"Keep calm," said Tails, feeling somewhat nervous. "Sonic and his team are bound to show up any minute now."

"Robots, attack them!" ordered Sharkinator.

The Egg Pawns and Egg Knights readied their weapons and charged straight for Draco, Bowser, Lonnie and Tails, but just at the last moment, a blue blur zoomed into the room, knocking out the robots.

"Am I late for the party?" asked Sonic as he watched the robots collapsed to the floor.

"Sonic!" exclaimed the team. "Thank goodness you have arrived!"

"Yes, we're here and all in one piece," replied Torden as he arrived with Charonus and Axl. "We also have the Chaos Emeralds with us!"

"Awesome to hear," said Tails. "But this isn't the time for celebrating. We've got company, and those robots need to be taken down fast."

"So, we meet again, Sonic," said Sharkinator. "You may have bested me back then, but now Eggman's got me all tuned up ready to fight you again. Think you can handle the new and improved Robot Master Sharkinator?"

"Together we are much stronger!" declared Sonic. "We may not be much, but we still have courage and determination, or at least most of us."

"I will teach you to meddle in Eggman's affairs," said Sharkinator. "Get them, robots!"

The Egg Pawns and Egg Knights regained themselves and advanced on the now reunited team.

"You got your arms ready?" asked Sonic.

"We sure do!" replied Torden, Axl, Lonnie and Charonus as they cocked their laser blasters.

"Fire away!" shouted Sonic.

There was a sudden barrage of laser blasts coming from the left and right. The team fought bravely against the army of robots, with Bowser even joining in as he delivered rounds of his Fire Breath attack. At last all the robots were taken down, and Sharkinator was the last one remaining.

"Darn!" growled the Robot Master. "You've brought down the entire squadron!"

"And you'll be joining them!" declared Sonic. "I say you better call it quits and leave!"

"My dear friends," said Sharkinator. "You obviously have no idea what you truly are getting yourselves into. I have yet to show you the full extent of my power. Power which I doubt you would be able to handle due to how radical it is."

"You're full of it!" scoffed Torden. "I doubt you are that powerful, and there's no way you can scare us!"

"Some non-believer you are," replied Sharkinator. "For that, I shall make you eat your own words once I reveal my true powers! Alright, here I come!"

In an instant, razor sharp spikes protruded from Sharkinator's back, multiple laser blasters appeared out of his arms, and a pair of rocket cannons emerged, each one mounted on the robot's shoulders. At this point, Sharkinator has grown slightly larger in size, and he towered over the group who were now feeling very uneasy, including Sonic and Torden.

"Whoa! He's huge!" exclaimed Draco.

"I guess I'm going to take back everything I just said," gulped Torden, trembling with fear.

"How would you like to play a game of Missile Dance?" gloated Sharkinator, and he started to launch a round of rockets, sending the team running for their lives. They tried to fight back with their blasters and fire breath attacks, but it was no good as the robot stood strong as if they were nothing.

"Damn it!" pouted Axl. "There's nothing else we can do to stop him now!"

"Right you are," said Sharkinator. "Face it, you pathetic worms, it's all over now!"

"Not when we are here to help!" called a voice from behind.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Bowser is rescued and the Chaos Emeralds are recovered! Only one more chapter, and we're in for yet another intense finish!


	6. Chapter 6: Together at Last

**Chapter 6 – Together at Last  
**

Cynder, in her Alpha form, appeared in the doorway, and with her stood Jakkin, Lily and Percival, also in their powered forms. Blaze, Rolf, Iggy and Brutus were also with them. Draco and Tails were delighted to see the rest of their friends again.

"Hey there, Cynder!" exclaimed the team. "What a surprise to see you and the rest here at our dire moment!"

"We figured that you would need all the help you can get," replied Cynder. "Brutus also appeared at our village at the last minute before we left."

"You better get your Elemental Brooches ready, Draco and Torden," said Jakkin. "I can tell that you guys really are in a bind with that shark robot."

Doing as Jakkin has instructed, Draco and Torden took out their Elemental Brooches and soon they transformed into their respected powered forms. Charonus also joined in as he assumed his Mega Charizard X form.

"Thanks for coming, my fellow bandmates," said Axl.

"Not a problem," smiled Iggy.

"Even with you finally altogether, you're still far outmatched in terms of power," said Sharkinator. "I will see to it that you won't make it out of here alive and the Chaos Emeralds will be returned to Eggman!"

"Give it a try," said Cynder coolly.

The evil Robot Master scowled and before he knew it, the team charged towards him. He readied his laser blaster blasters and missile cannons, but he soon found that he was not able to take down a large group at once. The dragons unleashed their breath attacks simultaneously and the Nightriders fired their blasters rapidly, which prevented Sharkinator from being able to fight back. Although Eggman had outfitted him with more armaments, the damage the robot master has sustained before was starting to take its toll as he was experiencing more short circuits than ever. Finally, Sharkinator started to collapse, and sparks were sputtering everywhere.

"Let me finish him off," said Sonic. "This robot's going down!"

Sonic ducked down to perform his Super Spin Dash, and after charging himself to full power, he launched forward towards the rattling Sharkinator and struck him right on the chest, knocking the robot backwards. The impact caused him to burst and disassemble uncontrollably.

"The Eggman Empire shall live on…" he managed to say before he exploded, sending rounds of rockets scattering about. This caused the laboratory to crumble.

"Uh-oh," said Tails. "This place is falling apart! We better get out of here fast!"

"Hurry for the exit!" shouted Bowser.

The team raced out of the door, while the Pyre Squad watched them from their hiding place.

"What is happening?" asked Ciara.

"I don't know, but we better get moving," said Scorcher. "This place is falling down, and it's only a matter of time until it blows up!"

"In that case, let's follow them out!" urged Cronk.

The trio raced for the door, but several pieces of metal fell down right in front of them, blocking the way out. The team could now huddle each other helplessly as they waited for the laboratory to explode.

* * *

Sonic and his friends have made it out of the laboratory just in time, and not a moment too soon, they ducked down and took cover when a devastating explosion rocked the mountain. Metallic debris rained down into the ground, and they were so hot that they melted small portions of the snow. The team soon looked up and surveyed the sight, not noticing three faint tiny specks disappearing over the horizon. Smoke poured out from the mountain, which now had its top removed from the explosion.

"Rockin'!" gasped Axl.

"Boy, that was a big one!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Yeah, talk about mountainous destruction!" said Tails.

"Ha! Zing!" laughed Iggy.

"What do you think has become of Eggman?" asked Draco.

"I have no idea," replied Charonus. "But one thing for sure, his laboratory is nothing but rubble now."

"Perhaps he is finally defeated," said Lily brightly. "And that means the world is saved!"

"Don't think you have won that easily!" bellowed a sinister voice.

Everyone looked up and there was Doctor Eggman on his Eggmobile, and he had a bemused look on his face. "Look what you have done!" he snapped. "My laboratory, it's completely destroyed! To think that I have spent all my years renovating the interior of the mountain, and it's been blown to smithereens!"

"How could this be possible?" asked Iggy. "We never saw you fly away!"

"Eggman, you seriously don't know when to quit!" growled Rolf.

"You're going to pay for what you attempted to do to Bowser!" hissed Draco as he clenched his fist.

"You should just give it up, Eggman!" said Sonic. "There's no way you can win as long as we are working together!"

"Ha! No evil genius ever rests until he has finally achieved his ends!" laughed Eggman. "You may have destroyed my lab and Sharkinator, and you may have taken the Chaos Emeralds away from me, but I'm still far from beat!"

"Bitch, please!" snorted Brutus. "What else do you have other than the Death Egg? It will take more than gloating and taunting to intimidate us!"

"That's what you may think, but I have another base to continue on my dastardly operations," said Eggman. "Anyway, that's enough of you! I shall put all of you out of your miseries so that you will never interfere with my plans ever again, especially you, Sonic!"

Doctor Eggman pressed a button on his Eggmobile, and from underneath popped emerged a large cannon. He then pushed another button, prompting the cannon to charge up and release a ball of fire.

"Not that old attempt to stop me all those years ago," scoffed Sonic. "You seriously have not learned a lesson at all!"

"Let's teach him a thing or two!" declared Torden.

"Get a load of this, you punks!" thundered Eggman, and he then pressed one more button that made the cannon launch out the fireball.

"That won't stop us, Eggman!" said Cynder. "Come on, boys! Show them the how strong we are as a team!"

The other dragons nodded, and they spat back with their breath attacks. The Nightriders joined in as they opened fired their blasters. The combined forces deflected the large fireball that it was sent hurtling back to Eggman. Frantically, the doctor tried to flee, but it was too late. The fireball exploded, sending the Eggmobile sailing beyond the horizon before disappearing with a twinkle.

"Alright, you guys!" cheered Sonic. "We have shut that egghead up, and he shall not be bothering us for a while!"

Everyone jumped with joy and slapped each other high fives, content that they outsmarted Eggman one more time.

Bowser looked at Draco, and he was smiling. "Hey, Draco," he began. "I really want to thank you for coming after me. You really have saved this old Koopa from being turned into a robot."

"Think nothing of it, Bowser," said Draco modestly. "You're my closest friend aside from Cynder and Tails, and I could not imagine my life without you."

Nodding in agreement, Bowser continued on with his speech. "I have never expected anyone would risk their lives for me, given the reputation I once had," he said. "Suffice it to say that now I'm the one who owes you my life."

"Oh, Bowser!" sighed Draco and he gave the Koopa King a big hug, while everyone else watched happily.

"This sure is one happy reunion," remarked Jakkin.

"Yes, I can agree with you on that, Jakkin," said Percival.

Just then, Blaze received a text message from her phone, and when she looked it up, she could barely contain her joy. "Look at this, everyone!" she exclaimed. "It's a message from Empress Celeste! She says that the Anthro League has learned about the destruction of Eggman's laboratory and knows that we were the ones who saved the day! We've been invited to a celebration dinner where we will be given special rewards!"

"Really?" asked Tails. "That's great!"

"Celebration dinner," smiled Sonic. "This means lots of chili dogs for me!"

"I'm hankering for some pizza," said Draco, licking his lips.

"Hungry as always, Draco," laughed Charonus.

"This all sounds really good," said Axl. "My band and I will definitely check this dinner out, since we helped a lot on this mission!"

"In that case, let's make a move on!" said Torden. "Our work here in Alaska is done!"

"Before we do, let's go bring the Chaos Emeralds back to the village," said Sonic as he looked at his Chaos Emerald before checking on the rest. "We will really need them for when the time comes."

With that, everyone readied themselves for the journey back to Japan. Darky and Lonnie mounted on Draco, while Axl rode on Torden. Iggy picked Lily, and Brutus picked Percival. Rolf decided to join Blaze and Bowser as they boarded on Tails' Torando Z, and Sonic jumped on the wings of the plane. At last, they took off, eager for the celebration dinner that awaits them on their way back home.

 **To Be Continued…**

* * *

Another intense finish! Three Robot Masters down, and only two more to go! We shall see what sort of adventures our heroes will have on the next story, so until then, see you guys next time!

Dedicated to Axl Reigns, creator of the Nightriders


End file.
